The Power of Slogans

Yes We Can. Change We Can Believe In. Forward. Remember those?

House Democratic leaders plan to launch a 2014 version of the “Six for ’06” strategy that propelled them into the majority eight years ago.

Though still in the development stages, the strategy will mirror the 2006 campaign in featuring a series of specific policy points designed to distinguish the Democrats’ priorities from those of the Republicans, according to party leaders.

While their official slogan hasn’t been decided just yet, we know where this is headed:

“Our message is a clear one: Democrats mean that your life is going to be better; greater access to health care; greater access to education; greater access to opportunity; greater focus on jobs and making it in America,” Hoyer said. “Democratic policies have been better for average working people and not-so-average working people in America, and that will be our theme.”

Do I think a great slogan and well-crafted sound bites will be enough to really boost Democrats in the mid-terms? No. The rollout nightmare of Obamacare, coupled with hiking health care premiums for many and people losing their insurance and doctor options, will make life very difficult for Democrats this 2014.

However, that doesn’t mean that the power of words in the form of slogans and political sound bites should be ignored. In fact, this serves as a good reminder. The truth is that people like slogans. I used to work in Marketing and one of the first on-the-job lessons learned was that many are far more interested in how you say it than what you actually say–or do. That may be a sad reality for many (myself included), but it’s a reality nonetheless.

So, Republicans, even when you have the upper hand on policy, don’t ignore the power of sound bites, especially in presidential elections. People like catchy phrases. They like stuff you can stick on a hat, t-shirt, or bumper sticker. Of course you should back it all up with pro-growth policy, positive solutions, and the best communications team you can assemble.

But wrapping good policy in good marketing is just about the smartest thing you can do. A good slogan sometimes goes a really long way.